UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO the Value of a Body
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Value of a Body: Anatomy Lessons in Nineteenth-Century British Literature and Visual Culture A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Literature by Lisa Beth Vernoy Committee in charge: Professor Stephanie Jed, Chair Professor Cathy Gere Professor Margaret Loose Professor Kathryn Shevelow Professor Pasquale Verdicchio 2012 The Dissertation of Lisa Beth Vernoy is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2012 iii DEDICATION My parents have loved, supported, and believed in me for as long as I can remember. This dissertation is dedicated to them with gratitude and love. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page……………………………………………………………………… iii Dedication Page……………………………………………………………………. iv Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….. v List of Tables………………………………………………………………………. vi List of Figures……………………………………………………………………… vii Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………. ix Vita………………………………………………………………………………… xi Abstract of the Dissertation .………………………………………………………. xii Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 1 Chapter 1: Regulating Dissection An Introduction to the Anatomy Bills and Act……………………………. 5 Chapter 2: Dissecting Collections Illustrated Bodies and Medical Emotional Detachment in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries……………………………………………………… 57 Chapter 3: Monstrous Dissection Class Consciousness and the Creation of Monsters in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein ……………………………………………………............... 98 Chapter 4: Dissecting Fictionalized Bodies Appropriation and Objectification in Nineteenth Century Paintings and Photographs………………………………………………………………. 153 Epilogue………………………………………………………………………….... 188 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………….. 198 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Titles and important details of significant texts that impacted the passing of the Anatomy Act……………………………………………………………………………..27 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Andreas Vesalius, Second muscle man, page 174. From De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, 1543. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London……………………62 Figure 2: Andreas Vesalius, Skeleton contemplating a skull, page 164. From De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, 1543. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…………..64 Figure 3: William Hogarth, The Reward of Cruelty, 1751. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London………………………………………………………………………….67 Figure 4: Thomas Rowlandson, Three anatomical dissections taking place in an attic, circa 1770. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London……………………………………70 Figure 5: William Hunter, Plate II, 1774. From The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…………………77 Figure 6: William Hunter, “Tab VI: The child in the womb, in its natural situation.” From The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures, 1774. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London………………………………………………………………79 Figure 7: William Hunter, Plate XXVII, 1774 From The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…………………81 Figure 8: William Hunter, Plate XXVI: 3 Months Foetuses, 1774. From The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus Exhibited in Figures. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…………………………………………………………………………………...83 Figure 9: Johann Ihle, The Female Hottentot with natural Apron, 1794. From Ebenezer Sibly's Universal System of Natural History. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…88 Figure 10: Small poster advertising the exhibition of the Hottentot Venus, 1810. Courtesy of Wellcome Library, London…………………………………………………90 Figure 11: Sartjee, the Hottentot Venus, Now Exhibiting in London, Drawn From Life, circa 1810. Courtesy of City of Westminster Archive Center, London/Bridgeman Art Library……………………………………………………………………………………93 Figure 12: Sir John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1852. Courtesy of Tate Britain, London………………………………………………………………………………….158 Figure 13: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Regina Cordium or The Queen of Hearts, 1860. Courtesy of Johannesburg Art Gallery…………………………………………………160 vii Figure 14: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Beata Beatrix, 1870. Courtesy of Tate Britain, London………………………………………………………………………………….166 Figure 15: Arthur Munby, Photograph Portrait of Ellen Grounds with a broom, n.d. Courtesy of Trinity College, Cambridge……………………………………………….171 Figure16: Arthur Munby, Photograph Portrait of Ellen Grounds dressed as a lady, n.d. Courtesy of Trinity College, Cambridge……………………………………………….173 Figure17: Arthur Munby, Photograph portrait of Hannah Cullwick as a Munby's 'valet,' 1861. Courtesy of Trinity College, Cambridge………………………………………..175 Figure18: Arthur Munby, Photograph portrait of Pitwork girl 1, 1865. Courtesy of Trinity College, Cambridge…………………………………………………………….177 Figure 19: Arthur Munby, Photograph portrait of Pitwork girl 2, 1865. Courtesy of Trinity College, Cambridge…………………………………………………………….179 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS So many people have supported me in this writing and researching adventure, but none more so than my dissertation advisor, Stephanie Jed. Her unwavering support and her belief that this project is valuable has made me a better writer, a better thinker, and a better teacher. She is a mentor in the truest sense of the word: she guides me, praises me, corrects me, and laughs with me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing yourself so completely with me. Each member of my dissertation committee has given me their time, consideration, and support. This project would not be what it is without their generosity and expertise. Thank you, Pasquale, Margaret, Kathryn, and Cathy for sharing your knowledge and passion with me. My family members have each listened to me talk endlessly about my ideas, my frustrations, and my successes. My mom has read this project over and over, caring for it and for me with love. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Kevin, Mike, and Katie for your understanding and patience. My partner has made me smile every day since I have met him. He supports me unconditionally, he keeps me grounded, and he helps me remember what is important in life, allowing me to write better, live better, and love better. Thank you, Pepe, for those gifts. My friends in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and elsewhere have also been constant sources of support and love. They have encouraged me to move past my failures and have celebrated with me during my successes. Thank you, Amie, Anna, Jean, Shirley, Krista, Megan, Alvin, Bethi, Yeesheen, Brian, Amber, Ana, Angie, Cat, ix Inhye, Nadine, and many more; I will strive each day to pass forward the positive energy you shared and helped me cultivate in myself. The staff, faculty, and TAs in the Warren College Writing Program have encouraged me to evolve into an intelligent and empathetic instructor. They valued my unique contributions, modeled an ideal work environment, and have never wavered in their generous support of me as a teacher, a writer, and a colleague. Thank you especially to Holly, Julie, and Madeleine for making Warren a warm and welcoming place to grow. The UCSD Literature Department has been my home for six years and I will always remember my time at UCSD fondly because of the talented thinkers who have encouraged me to evolve my own thinking and writing. I thank all the literature graduate students, faculty, and staff for their dedication and collegiality. I would lastly like to acknowledge the institutions and persons that supported my research both in the U.S. and in the U.K. Thank you to the Wellcome Library in London, the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, the Wren Library in Trinity College in Cambridge, the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the Huntington Library in San Marino, and most of all, the Geisel Library at UCSD. x VITA 2000 Bachelor of Arts, Tufts University 2003 Master of Science, California State University, Fullerton 2006-2011 Teaching Assistant for Warren College Writing Program, University of California, San Diego 2009 Candidate in Philosophy, University of California, San Diego 2009-2010 Research Assistant, University of California, San Diego 2010-2011 Academic Counselor, San Diego Mesa College 2011 Master of Arts, University of California, San Diego 2012 Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Literature Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Visual Culture Studies in Teaching Composition and Literature xi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Value of a Body: Anatomy Lessons in Nineteenth-Century British Literature and Visual Culture by Lisa Beth Vernoy Doctor of Philosophy in Literature University of California, San Diego, 2012 Professor Stephanie Jed, Chair In early nineteenth-century Britain, Parliament decided that it must legislate on the problem of grave-robbing and the dearth of dissection subjects for anatomy training. After several failed bills, Parliament passed the Anatomy Act in 1832, which allowed unclaimed bodies in workhouses, prisons, and hospitals to be sold to medical schools for dissection. In this dissertation, I argue that fiction and print images that highlighted medical detachment and irresponsibility contributed to fear and anxiety that people felt about the vulnerability of their bodies that the Anatomy Act legislated. I analyze illustrations created for anatomy textbooks by Andrea Vesalius and William Hunter as well as illustrations of African women such as Sarah Baartman to show how images such xii as these contributed to the public’s awareness of how bodies were increasingly